Chloe stared out at the sky, watching as the sun returned to its normal state, the unplanned eclipse at its end. She watched alone. Rachel Amber had left mere moments ago.
Chloe wasn't angry with her, not anymore, that had faded along with the eclipse. She wasn't disappointed either, that wasn't quite it. It was more like...resigned. Chloe's universe had shifted, and she wasn't sure where that left her. For the first time in five years, Rachel didn't have her back. She felt like it had been building for a while, that distance had already been splintering their relationship, and it just hadn't been strong enough to handle today.
Which Chloe thought was a load of shit. All her life, ever since her father, Chloe had been walking away from things. But walking away from Rachel didn't seem right. But what could she do about it? How could you fix something that took two people to build? Chloe sighed, a problem for another night she supposed. Tonight was going to be busy enough.
"I'm sorry Chloe," Max said, suddenly sitting on the lawn beside her. Chloe didn't jump this time, she only felt relief. She needed something to distract her.
"You saw that?" Chloe asked without turning towards her friend, her eyes still on the setting sun.
"Yeah sorry, some of it. I didn't mean to intrude." Her voice was enough to tell Chloe she was embarrassed. Chloe didn't blame her, she'd be uncomfortable watching her best friend arguing with her girlfriend because of her.
"I know you didn't mean to," Chloe muttered darkly.
"I'm sorry Chloe," Max said again, softly. Chloe sighed. It wasn't Max's fault she got to witness Chloe blowing it with the one person who'd ever wanted to love her. Hell, Chloe probably shouldn't even be surprised, that was pretty much the story of her life. How long till she screwed up whatever she had going with Max? Again.
"Sorry, that came off more bitter than I meant it. It's not your fault," Chloe said, glancing over at Max. The setting sun made her hair look almost burgundy as she sat with her chin resting on her knees. Out of reflex, Chloe went to give Max a hard pat on the back, which resulted in her awkwardly tipping off balance as her hand went flying through her. Max watched as she quickly sat back up straight, and a small smile broke across her face.
"That never gets old," Max said with a laugh, finally breaking the sour mood. Well, that didn't go as planned, but Chloe was happy it at least seemed to work.
"Not my fault I forget, it just comes naturally," Chloe said with a huff.
"You know, you shouldn't have mentioned me to Rachel. Then you could have avoided the whole thing," Max said, switching back to the exact topic Chloe had been trying to get away from.
"I'm not doing that this time," Chloe said. Max gave her a puzzled look.
"Doing what?"
"I was thinking about it, about everything that's happened today. About you and me and our past, all of that shit. I'm not hiding you this time."
"Hiding me?" Max asked. Chloe was silent a moment.
"Did you know I blamed myself when you left?" Chloe asked suddenly as she turned towards the sunset. Max's eyes widened.
"Chloe, that wasn't your fault. I…"
"I know it was irrational," Chloe said, interrupting before Max could get on a roll. "But I couldn't help feeling like, if I'd treated you better that last year, maybe you wouldn't have left."
"Treated me better? You were amazing Chloe, what are you talking about?"
"Mom and Dad started to not like that I was hanging out with you. So I stopped talking about you, just pretended you weren't there, even when you were in the room with us."
"Which I suggested," Max said forcibly. "I shouldn't have put you through that."
"And I shouldn't have listened to you," Chloe retorted. "What kind of friend does that, just acts like they're not there?"
"It wasn't a normal friendship Chloe. You didn't have a choice. It was selfish of me to stay."
"Fuck that, this is what I'm talking about," Chloe said, rising to her feet. She looked down at Max. "You might not blame me, but I do Max. I shouldn't have done that, make you feel like you weren't wanted. And I won't do it now. You're my best friend Max, and I'm going to do it right this time. You hella deserve it. No more hiding, if people want to be with me they're just going to have to deal with it, Rachel included. Chloe and Max are a package deal from here on out. I'm an adult, if I want to fucking talk to myself then they'll just have to accept it."
"Chloe, that's sweet, and you know you're my best friend..." Max started.
"I can feel the gravitational pull of the but coming, it's that large," Chloe said warily. Max smiled the slow, patient smile of someone used to being interrupted by smartass best friends.
"I can't give you what Rachel can," Max said simply.
"What, because you're not gay?" Chloe said with a smirk. She expected to get a blush or widening of the eyes. Instead Max stared back at her, her face expressionless. She stood up and walked forward, coming right up to Chloe's face. Instead of Max, Chloe was the one to break out into a blush, one that only deepened as Max continued holding eye contact. This close, Chloe could make out every freckle on her face and see the lines of her irises. Max raised a hand and placed it on Chloe's check. Even though she couldn't feel a thing, Chloe's face felt like it was on fire.
"Max?"
"I can't touch you when I want to Chloe. I can't hold you when you need it. I can't even go...don't throw away something real for...whatever this is. I don't want to do that to you," Max said, her eyes looking deep into Chloe's, pleading with her. She dropped her hand and backed away, freeing Chloe's brain to start working again.
"The only thing you're doing is being my best friend Max," Chloe said. Max face fell slightly, her eyes going to the ground.
"I might not even be here…"
"Don't," Chloe said, her mouth opening before she could even process. "Don't you fucking dare. You said you were going to prove I was the most important person to you this week. That doesn't mean a damn thing if you just leave afterword. That doesn't work. Do that and I...I won't make it Max." Max looked up. She stared at Chloe, her face unreadable as silent moments stretched by.
"I'm never leaving you Chloe, as long as I can manage. As long as I'm me, I'll be with you."
"Good, glad we got that fucking settled," Chloe said, moving away from the topic. "What was that favor you were going to ask?" Max exhaled and then opened her mouth.
"I don't know if this is a good idea or not Chloe, but it's all I could think of. It's dangerous, for you. I don't like that. But I'm afraid the consequences of not doing it are too great, and I...I can't do it. Which means all I have is you."
"Well, spill the beans, stop dragging it out," Chloe said.
"We have to stop Mr. Jefferson." Chloe gave her a confused look.
"I thought we did that."
"It goes beyond that conversation with Kate Chloe, far beyond. I only had you make the video so he'd be busy tonight. Now the real work begins."
"Okay, color me intrigued."
"Mark Jefferson is a kidnapper. He drugs and kidnaps teenage girls, takes them to his private studio, and takes pictures of them while they're half unconscious." It took a moment for Chloe to process everything Max was saying.
"Wait," she said as it sank in. "What the fuck?!"
"I'm completely serious Chloe. He's done it multiple times before and he's not going to stop. Sometimes he returns the girls, leaving them with this sense of violation without any memories of why, but he's not above murder. And Nathan Prescott helps him." Chloe's blood ran cold.
"Nathan?"
"He helps Jefferson, does the dirty work. He gets the drugs they use from Frank, leaving Jefferson's hands clean. He also supplies the money from his family to build the studio they use, and buy the equipment."
"Why would...why would anyone do that?" Max shock her head.
"I don't know Chloe."
"We have to...we have to stop him! No way I'm letting either of those pissheads get away with that!" Max smiled, watching her friend get worked up.
"Thanks for believing me Chloe."
"Of course I believe you Max. I never liked that pretentious jerkwad, and Nathan has always been off. Still, I never would have believed...wait. What about Kate?" Chloe asked, the dots connecting in her mind. She looked over at Max and the devastating look on her face was enough of an answer. "Kate…" Chloe said, her heart breaking for her new friend all over again.
"She called me her guardian angel…" Max said suddenly. She sat down on the grass, her eyes disappearing in a well of tears.
"Max," Chloe said, rushing over to her. She wanted to take the girl into her arms, but she knew how impossible that was.
"How fucked up is that!" Max shouted suddenly, causing Chloe to jump. "I didn't save her from anything. All I did was catch her before she came crashing down." Max broke down into sobs, pulling her legs against her.
"There wasn't anything you could do," Chloe said, desperate to do anything to stop Max from crying.
"There should have been, but I couldn't think of it. I hoped with everything I changed maybe it would go different…but it didn't. And I just let it happen. I had years to try to think of a way to help her, but I couldn't think of anything. If I'd been smarter or tried harder, if I hadn't already screwed up so much...but that's all I can do. All I do is fuck things up," Max said quietly as her body shook slightly.
"Max, what did you screw up? You saved me, and you saved Kate. We're both still here." Max's body shook one last time, then she hugged herself tight and stood back up. If Chloe hadn't just seen her she would never have known she was crying, she looked more pissed off than sad.
"There's no time for a pity party," she said as she waved away Chloe's concern. "I've already wasted enough. I need to go over what you have to do," she said as she wiped the tears from her face.
"Max, it's okay, we can…"
"I need you to go to his studio Chloe," Max said, interrupting her. Chloe froze.
"The kidnap studio?"
"The Dark Room, yes," Max said. The way she said it raised the hairs on Chloe's arms, making it sound almost mystical.
"Why?"
"We need evidence, enough to make any charges against Jefferson stick without fail."
"Why do I have to go there, why not just call the cops with the location?" Max shook her head.
"Not the cops, I don't know how many of them are on Prescott's payroll. They could easily overlook an anonymous tip with little evidence to back it up. I need this to work flawlessly. Jefferson is already set things up to look like Nathan's fault. If we give him any warning, he could walk away scott free." Chloe swallowed.
"Okay, looks like I'm going then," Chloe said, sounding way more confident than she felt. Max gave her a sad look.
"I'm sorry Chloe, this is my fault all over again. David should have been able to do this, but he's barely started investigating this time because Rachel didn't…" Max cut off, her eyes going wide with panic.
"Rachel didn't what?" Chloe asked. She didn't have any clue what Max was talking about, but she knew a secret when she heard it. Max sighed.
"I'll tell you, I promise, but right now isn't the time. We have to do this quickly before Jefferson gets released. We have to do this while I know where he is." Chloe stared at her a moment, a thousand questions going through her mind. Finally, she sighed.
"You promise?"
"Promise."
"Okay, what do I do?" Max sighed in relief.
"Thanks Chloe. Okay, I know where the Dark Room is. I'll need you to go there and I need you to take some pictures."
Chloe pulled her truck up into the driveway and raced inside. There were just a couple things she needed and then she'd be ready.
She ran upstairs and threw open her closet. She grabbed an old sweatshirt, a newer one, and a zip up jacket. She tucked them under an arm before heading to her desk. She grabbed her phone cord and crossed the hall into her mother's room. She took out a pair of David's pants and one of his ugly sweaters and added them to the pile. Then she dug back further into his winter gear and drug out a ski mask and some gloves. Just a couple more things to go.
Chloe ran back down the stairs and into the garage. She dug through piles of tools until she found what she was looking for. She knew he would have it, just like she promised Max. Finally, on the way back out she snagged his keys off his desk.
Chloe walked out of the garage with an arm full of dark clothes and a pair of bolt cutters. She turned the corner of the living room and ran into her mom, standing with arms crossed by the front door.
"Didn't know you were home," Chloe said with a smile, as if a smile could hide the fact that she looked like she was about to break into someone's house.
"Obviously," Joyce said with a significant look at the bolt cutters. "Are you going to make me ask what the hell you're getting up to?"
"Just going to do some stuff with Rachel," Chloe said, which sounded like a lie even as she said it.
"Stuff?" Joyce asked with a disappointed shake of her head. "You always were a terrible liar Chloe, it's your best trait. Rachel's already came and went."
"She did?!" Chloe said, her heart squeezing in her chest. Things with Max wouldn't slow down so she kept forgetting about Rachel. Something Rachel didn't deserve, even with everything. When this is over I'm going to have to convince her. Somehow.
"Yes she did. Packed up her things and told me she wouldn't be staying tonight," Joyce said. She looked at Chloe. "Is there something you want to tell me?" Okay Chloe, time to lie like your life depends on it.
"Okay, there's this girl at school, Kate, who's in the hospital right now so I was going to get in her locker, so I could bring her a couple things," Chloe said.
"Why don't you just text her for her combination?" Joyce asked reasonably. Fuck, I really am bad at this.
"I was going to just get her a new lock, not bother her about it," Chloe said desperately. One look at Joyce, and Chloe knew her mom didn't buy it. Joyce sighed.
"Why don't you just talk to me Chloe. I saw you at the diner this morning, you ran out of there like you'd seen a ghost. And Rachel said there might be some things we need to discuss," Joyce said.
"Oh, she did?" Chloe said. She tried not to get angry, Rachel was just trying to help. At least it showed she still cared to some degree. It made sense, but Chloe still felt her heart burning.
"Chloe, I'm just worried. I want…" Joyce said.
"Why don't you just say it?" Chloe interrupted, fed up with trying to convince her. If lies weren't working, then the truth was all she had left.
"Say what?"
"Max," Chloe said. Joyce flinched back as if Chloe had physically struck her. "That's what this is about right? You're worried I've lost it again, but you're too afraid to just fucking say it."
"Chloe, I never thought you lost it. Losing your father was hard on all of us. We all had different ways of dealing with it."
"Good, glad that's settled, I'll see you later Mom," Chloe said coldly as she walked towards the door. Joyce moved forward and Chloe stopped, even if Joyce wasn't exactly blocking her way. No matter how mad she got at her mom, Chloe could never shut her down like she did almost everyone else. How could she when she was the only person who lost Dad too?
"Chloe, I'm not attacking you, I'm trying to help."
"I'm nineteen, I don't need your help anymore Mom."
"You're still in high school and I'm still your mother."
"You just have to trust me," Chloe said through clinched teeth. Why was no one trusting her this week?
"Chloe, you're holding bolt cutters and running out of my house at eight thirty," Joyce said exasperated. Okay, Chloe had to admit she had a point there.
"We'll talk later Mom, I promise. I have a lot to tell you. In the meantime, I promise I'm not up to anything illegal," Chloe said. At least she was pretty sure it wasn't illegal. Was it illegal to break into an evil lair? No one ever seemed to get in trouble for it in the movies. Joyce sighed and then held her arms out. Chloe rolled her eyes and then hugged her, at least as best as you can hug someone with three sweatshirts and a pair of bolt cutters.
"Just tell me you're okay," Joyce said as they parted.
"I promise Mom, I'm more than okay."
Chloe stopped the truck a street over from where she needed to be. She killed the engine and gathered her things. She pulled on the extra pair of pants, a couple sweatshirts, and finally pulled down the ski mask over her beanie. "I am the night," she muttered as she threw her hood over her head.
This was the first part of the plan. Super-secret lairs probably had super-secret surveillance cameras, at least that was what Max was afraid of. She didn't want Jefferson, Nathan, or anyone else to know Chloe was the intruder. So, it was time for secret agent Chloe to bring down the bad guys. She hummed the 007 theme song while she put some gloves on and tried to ignore the fact that her hand shock as she picked David's Maglite up.
She got out of the truck and started walking perpendicular to the road, towards a large, spooky barn silhouetted in the distance. She didn't turn her flashlight on, she could make it across the field by moonlight. It was another of Max's directives, she didn't want Chloe to give away her presence at all until she was sure no one was at the Dark Room.
"No problem Chloe, this is just like the two hundred horror movies you saw. And look how those turned out! Absolutely nothing to worry about," Chloe muttered to herself as she stomped across the field. At least she wore her boots like always, they were actually coming in handy here.
After what felt like two decades, Chloe finally arrived at the barn. She walked up from the back and carefully, quietly snuck around the corner and looked for any signs that someone else was there. Jefferson should still be occupied with the police, and maybe Nathan too. Max had told her what their cars looked like just in case though. She didn't see a black car or a red truck, or any car for that manner. She held still, listening for any signs of other people. Not that there was much to hear if they were already inside.
Chloe glanced over at the ramshackle barn. It was hard to imagine that this beat up looking thing was hiding a state-of-the-art kidnapping den. But, she supposed that was kinda the point. She took a breath in, then released it. Now started the moment of truth. She turned the corner and walked into the barn.
Nothing immediately jumped out and murdered her, which was something. Though really, it'd be a terrible horror movie if she didn't at least make it into the Dark Room before she was brutally murdered.
With that cheery thought, Chloe dug out her flashlight.
"Dear Jesus, please let this not be a terrible mistake," she muttered before turning it on. Just like Max described it, there wasn't much inside. Lots of straw thrown around, a rafter full of random wooden beams, and a box which Max had said was filled with old Prescott crap.
Chloe walked across the floor, heading to the middle back. She stomped, locating the metal plate she was looking for. She dug through the straw and pulled back the plate, revealing the concealed door complete with padlock.
At least this meant the Dark Room was probably empty, it's pretty hard to lock and cover-up a door after going through it. Chloe sighed and pulled out her bolt cutters. Now or never.
She expected it to be harder to snap off a lock, she wasn't known for her upper arm strength, but the it came off in just a quick snip. She pulled off the latch and opened the door. After a quick moment of hesitation, she decided to bring the bolt cutters with her. You never know when a sharp object might come in handy.
Chloe took a breath and then stepped inside. She closed the door behind her, hoping if someone else came she'd hear the door open to warn her. She moved into the room, strangely reminded of her garage. There were enough emergency rations in this room to feed someone for a year. What were they expecting? She shook her head and moved on quickly. Max had told her exactly what they needed pictures of and where it should be. The name of the game was speed. Get in and get out.
She moved through the room and down the hallway, ignoring everything else despite her curiosity practically screaming at her. At the end of the hallway was a door. Chloe hadn't really believed Max when she described it, obviously she had been exaggerating, but no, the door looked like a straight-up bank vault. How much did this cost? Chloe wondered as she moved up to the door. All so Jefferson can kidnap people and take creepy, violating pictures. What is wrong with people? Why can't they just buy a private jet like normal people?
Chloe moved over to the keypad, quickly entering 542. She heard the door click and breathed a sigh of relief. The code worked. She opened the door and froze for a moment.
Max had described it as extravagant, but after seeing the rest of the bunker Chloe had been expecting something more military. But a plush, white coach sat in the middle of the room, dark pieces of art hung on the wall, light stands and tripods were scattered around, and a wooden desk sat in the corner surrounded by printers.
Quickly Chloe quickly. Chloe reminded herself. She moved across the room, going towards the side where a selection of needles and a roll of duct tape sat on black boxes. She shuddered as she took out her phone and snapped a couple pictures. Next, she moved over to the desk and searched through various letters to Nathan from his father, finally finding the building contract that Max had talked about. She snapped pictures of the that and replaced everything. She did a quick 360, taking pictures of the entire room. Finally, she turned towards the most important piece.
She located the stack of red binders and took a picture of them. One said Victoria, Chloe quickly inspected it and confirmed it was empty like Max said. That was good, she might greatly dislike Victoria on an active basis, but no one deserved this.
She replaced the binder and pulled down the one that said Kate, her heart caving in as she laid it on the table and flipped through. It took everything in her to take the pictures, storing them on her phone. Her knuckles turned bright white as all her fear burned away into a rage. No one did this to Kate. No one did it and lived to talk about it. If she saw Jefferson again she wouldn't need the police, she'd handle him herself.
Deciding she had enough photos, far more than she could stomach, Chloe stuffed the binder back in the cabinet. All that was left was to leave. Chloe turned to go and then froze.
She turned back to the cabinet. One of the names seemed familiar. Stella. Chloe was pretty sure there was a Stella at Blackwell. She pulled the binder down and flipped it open. Chloe's eyes went wide. Yes, she knew this girl, had seen her on campus. Why hadn't Max mentioned her? The binder was filled with the same kind of sadistic shots Kate's had.
Chloe grabbed her phone, took a couple shots, and then put the binder back. She took one last look around. Everything in her wanted to grab one of those tripods and smash this place out of existence. Her fingers itched, desperate to leave every piece of equipment a smoking ruin. She could feel her lighter in her pocket. It'd be so easy to make sure those pictures were gone for good.
But that wouldn't help anyone. To put an end to it, to make sure Jefferson couldn't hurt anyone else, she'd have to drag all of this into the light. And Kate would be put through yet another ordeal. Chloe hated it, hated knowing she was going to hurt her friend to stop something even more vile. Chloe screamed, loud enough it echoed through the entire bunker. She screamed herself hoarse, until she felt better, at least a little bit. Her mind cleared and her heart suddenly started racing. Okay Chloe, that was the stupidest thing you could have done. Time to get out of here.
Chloe took off running, dropping all attempts at stealth, and left the Dark Room behind her.
She reached the barn and decided to just leave the metal grate off the door. She'd already snapped the lock, it's not like she'd been subtle. She turned and ran outside, making her way back to the truck.
"Chloe!" Max called out, suddenly beside her as she walked across the Blackwell lawn. Chloe turned, her arm flying out and passing right through a relieved looking Max.
"Did you just try to backhand me?" Max asked with a laugh, a couple of tears forming in her eyes.
"You scared the shit out of me dude, I told you to stop doing that!"
"Consider it revenge."
"Revenge for what?" Max just shook her head before giving Chloe a ghost hug. Chloe held still while she did it, it ruined the moment if Chloe accidently walked through her.
"I'm just glad to see you're okay," Max said as she pulled away, wiping away her tears.
"Of course I'm okay, a little kidnapping den isn't going to do me in. Not only that, but I got the pictures. Behold our new weapon!" Chloe said, holding her phone aloft.
"All hail the queen," Max said with a little bow. "Come on, let's head inside. You brought David's keys, right?"
"Fuck yeah, time for some breaking and entering," Chloe said excitedly as she moved towards the school building.
"It's not breaking and entering if you have the keys, it's just entering" Max said with a chuckle.
"Good, because I promised Mom I wasn't doing anything illegal today."
"Why would you do a silly thing like that?" Max asked as they reached the door. Chloe quickly whipped out the keys and picked out the one she needed without any trouble. Within moments the front door to Blackwell came open.
"Keymaster Chloe strikes again," Max said.
"Hmm?" Chloe asked, confused.
"Nothing, just feeling nostalgic tonight. Come on," Max said as she walked into the building. Chloe followed as Max turned towards the Main Office. She opened the door and walked into the receptionist area and headed straight towards Well's office.
"What are you doing?" Chloe asked, not even bothering to be surprised Max could open the door. Things never made sense with Max, she was just coming to terms with it.
"We need to use Wells' computer."
"Why?"
"How about you find out," Max said with a smirk, and then she vanished. Chloe whipped around, but couldn't see her anywhere. Right when she was about to yell out for her, the door to Well's office swung open from the inside, revealing a smiling Max.
"Okay...what the hell?"
"There are still many things you don't know young Padawan," Max chimed mysteriously.
"Yeah, fuck that, I repeat, what the hell?" But Max only laughed.
"Come on, we have to use his computer." Max walked over to Wells' chair and gestured to it. "Have a seat, I think you'll like it."
Chloe walked to the chair, muttering something about unhelpful ghost friends, and sat down. She hated to admit it, but it was a pretty fucking comfortable chair. It almost seemed a shame to waste it on Wells.
"Chloe Price, you're expelled for good this time. Because you smell like weed and wasted revenue," Chloe said in her best Wells' impersonation. Max arched an eyebrow at her. "What? I just wanted to know how it felt. It's nice sitting on this side of things for once." Max rolled her eyes.
"Did you bring your phone cord? We need to put the pictures on his computer. And put your gloves on, I don't want your fingerprints on the keyboard."
"I'm starting to feel like this is a one-sided relationship," Chloe muttered as she pulled her gloves on again. She took out her cord and plugged her phone in.
"And you thought I was joking when I said I was going to keep you hella busy today." The girls watched as Chloe slowly downloaded all the photos onto the computer.
"Okay, now what?" Chloe said as the download finished.
"Check to see if Wells stays logged into his email." Chloe clicked a couple times.
"Yep, what a tool."
"Okay, send the photos to David's email from his. Tell him about the kidnappings and the location of the Dark Room. Let him know you're a third party scared to go to the police, but you trust him. Then tell him the location of the barn." Chloe paused.
"Why are we telling David?" Chloe asked. "Why not just send it to the police?"
"I still can't leave this to chance. The police are used to cleaning up Nathan's messes, and this is a big one. I don't think they'd just turn a blind eye to this, but we can't trust something this big to them alone. We need a neutral party involved."
"Still, the doesn't explain why rent-a-douche has to be the one to turn it in. I mean, I could just go to the police now. Why all the run around?"
"No, Chloe. I don't want you involved. I have no idea how all of this will go down, and the last thing I want to do is drag you into something that could go south. I've already put you in enough danger, let someone else handle it from here on out."
"So, David takes the fall if something goes down? That's...cold Max, and that's coming from someone who doesn't like the guy," Chloe said, glancing over at Max. Max turned to her, meeting her eyes.
"I've done worse," she said simply, her eyes showing no sign of emotion. The hairs on Chloe's arms stood up as a chill went through her body.
"Max?" Chloe asked. "I think we need to talk soon." Max looked at her, a flash of sadness running over her face.
"I said we would. Now please, write the email."
"Yeah," Chloe said with a frown. She turned back to the computer. She wrote out the email with a couple suggestions from Max and then started adding photos.
"Wait," Max said, her eyes widening as the pictures zoomed by. "Wait, is that Stella?"
"Yeah, I thought it was weird you didn't mention her. I figured we could use them too, so I took pictures."
"There wasn't supposed to be a Stella Chloe," Max said. She stood up and walked away from the computer, her hand going to her head.
"Wasn't supposed to be? I'm not following Max."
"Stella never went to the Dark Room, at least I've never seen her go there," Max said quietly, back turned to Chloe.
"Okay, so this happened 'cause you changed something? Is that what you mean?" Chloe blurted out before she realized what that sounded like.
"Yes," Max replied before Chloe could take it back. "No matter what I do, someone always pays the price. Save one person, doom another. Why did I think this would be any different?"
"Max, it's okay, we're getting him now. No one else will suffer." Max stood there a moment and then waved her hand back at Chloe.
"Send the email Chloe. I'm done." Chloe paused, unsure what to say. In the end she couldn't think of anything, so she hit the send button.
"It's done."
"Good, you should go on home. I'll be there in a little bit and we can talk," Max said, her back still to Chloe, her shoulders slumped. Chloe stood up.
"I'm not going home," she said. Max turned towards her, her eyes full of hurt and confusion.
"What?"
"Not yet at least. You said you'd be there later. Where are you going now then?"
"Chloe…" Max began, her voice telling Chloe she was about to start a lecture.
"Fuck no Max, my best friend is hurting. I'm not leaving her like that. That's not what friends do."
"Chloe, I don't want you to…"
"Nope," Chloe said, interrupting her again. "I've done everything you've asked today Max. I raided a kidnap den literally called the Dark Room for fuck's sake. I'm asking one thing in return. Let me go with you. Let me hang out with my best friend." Blue eyes met, one full of determination and the other empty. Finally, Max sighed.
"Okay Chloe, follow me. And make sure you have David's keys, you're going to need them."
A/N: Shooo, sorry this update took so long. I could tell you all the excuses I have, but they're just excuses.
No worries though! I can promise, save death or dismemberment, this story will be finished. I've already got the whole plot outlined and I am in no way tired of this story. Hopefully you like it as much as I do.
Speaking of outline, this pretty much marks the halfway point. Starting from here on out, questions are going to start being answered. Every mystery will be revealed! I'm excited to show you!
Thanks for continuing to read my story and for all the extremely nice comments so far. And if you ever have a question or just want to bother me, I've got a tumblr over at vengesim dot tumblr dot com. Till next time friends!